Chapter 4
Sabine sat next to the door to Erik's room. She was listening. Night after night she listened there, wondering if there would be any sounds. She did not sleep; she did not need sleep. She had to know if Erik was coming back. She had doubled her watch after the revelations on Good Friday. She had watched all night of Holy Saturday and had not quit her post for Easter Sunday. All she had viewed, however, was the placement of a few Easter gifts and a plate of food in Erik's room. However, this night, the first Tuesday of Easter, her watches were rewarded.
It was nearly midnight when a few scuffling noises sounded from behind the door. The sounds grew louder; someone was climbing in the window. Sabine was experienced enough to recognize the sounds to be those of a youth, neither an adult nor a very young child. She stiffened, poised, ready to respond, but the sounds retreated. Erik was not going to come that night, but he would come again -and she would be ready.
Madeline opened Erik's door to place another plate of food on the tiny table. That was when she noticed the window. For the first time since Erik had left, the window was closed, bolted shut, and on the frosty glass there was a single, grimy handprint.
Madeline cried out. She flung the window open and glanced down at the muddied ground. Sure enough, the soft turf was marred by a series of freshly made prints, all the correct size to be her son's.
She was in a panic. How had the window been closed? Would Erik ever come back again? Had she somehow missed her last chance at ever seeing her beloved son again?
Madeline rushed from her house. She followed the muddy footsteps as far as she could, then she asked everyone she saw if they had seen her son. Accustom to such questions by the desperate mother, those she asked simply brushed her aside, shaking their heads pityingly. Soon, the hopelessness of the quest was obvious, and Madeline returned to her home, praying that her son would come once more.
That night, Madeline nailed the window open and left a candle burning. Erik would not be shut out another night. She would finally see her son again. All she had to do was wait and listen for him.